‘I won’t even consider the United States’: North Dakota feeling pinch as Manitobans boycott U.S. travel

Since the trade war with the U.S., numbers show big drops in passenger vehicle and air trips down south. CTV’s Jeff Keele reports.

North Dakota businesses may be missing out during spring break and beyond as Manitobans rethink their travel plans.

Sitting at The Forks in Winnipeg with a maple leaf on the shoulder of his jacket, Thunder Bay resident Mike Boyechko says he’s made several trips down south over the years.

“New York, Minneapolis, Duluth, Yellowstone,” recounted Boyechko. “I won’t even consider the United States with Donald Trump running the show there.”

Boyechko was in Manitoba watching the Winnipeg Jets and said he will no longer vacation in the U.S.

With the ongoing trade war, he might not be alone. Many Manitobans may be bypassing their annual visits to Grand Forks and Fargo during the upcoming spring break.

The tourism industry in North Dakota told CTV News businesses are already feeling the pinch.

Charley Johnson is the president of Visit Fargo-Moorhead, a destination marketing organization for the twin cities bordering North Dakota and Minnesota.

He said passenger vehicle trips at the Pembina border crossing were down 40 per cent in February.

“I don’t like it, none of my tourism friends like this, but we’re kind of hamstrung,” said Johnson.

Johnson said bars, restaurants, and shops that normally host Canadians noticed a drop.

Liquor stores also felt the sting.

“By counting Canadian license plates in their parking lots, they know that it’s down significantly and they’ll feel it,” said Johnson.

Johnson predicts things will only get worse.

“I fully anticipate we will have a further decline,” said Johnson. “Explain to me why I shouldn’t; it’s a rhetorical question.”

It’s not just fewer Canadians crossing the border on the ground. Air travel is plummeting too.

OAG, an aviation data company, said between April and September, bookings from Canada to the U.S. were down between 71 and 75 per cent.

The Winnipeg Airports Authority said it has not seen a significant decline in passengers going south, but anticipates that will change in the weeks ahead.